US Patent 9167869 Shoe with multi-component embedded strap

Provided are, among other things, shoes and shoe components, together with systems, methods and techniques for manufacturing the same. One representative embodiment involves a shoe that includes: a sole having a main structure; a strap anchor that has attachment points and is at least partially embedded within the main structure; and a strap that is attached to and/or looped through one or more of such attachment points and that is configured for strapping the shoe to a wearer's foot. Also, in this embodiment, the strap anchor includes a number of strap anchor components attached in a unit, each such strap anchor component including a number of the attachment points and being at least partially embedded within the main structure.